Monte Amiata, new trad and boulders by Michele Caminati

Michele Caminati's research and climbing of the area below the slopes of Monte Amiata continues incessantly and at the start of January the Italian climber unearthed another two beautiful gems: the boulder problem Mondo Bastardo graded 8B (and therefore slightly easier than his January 2012 creation Ultimi dei Moicani 8B+) and, changing genres, the trad climb called Un friend per amico - a friend as a friend. The name of this route gives the game away: nuts and camming devices are needed to protect the line and Caminati told Planetmountain that the line is "truly magical, finally I found something slightly harder where I could also fall onto the pro in relative safety."

In this case "slightly harder" translates into E6 6c on British trad, a scale which Caminati knows well after a series of winters on Englands gritstone outcrops. Otherwise the line offers "a short bouldery section which will deserve at least 7b sport climbing" were it to be protected with bolts. But these - according to the locals - are few and far between on Monte Amiata and the aim is to keep the area as bolt-free as possible.